Mamo Hassen (PhD)Mohammed Aragaw2018-07-192023-11-092018-07-192023-11-092016-09http://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/123456789/9521Anemia is a significant health challenge in both low- and high-income countries with major consequences in public health as well as socio-economic development. It is regarded as a major risk factor for unfavorable outcome of pregnancy both for the mother and the fetus. Current setting-specific information on this formidable threat is essential to design and implement appropriate control interventions. However, there is lack of adequate information on the magnitude of anemia among pregnant women in Kelela, northeast Ethiopia. This study was, therefore, done to determine the prevalence of anemia and associated factors among pregnant women attending Kelela health center (KHC). A cross-sectional study was carried out among pregnant women who came for their antenatal care follow-up between January and May 2016. A pretested questionnaire was used to gather socio-economic, demographic and clinical characteristics of the participants. Hemoglobin (Hb) was measured using the Sahli-Hellinge method and anemia status determined (Hb<11.0g/dl). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to test the association between anemia and socio-demographic variables (p<0.05). The prevalence of anemia was 58.8% (n=243); mild 40.8%, moderate 59.8%, and no severe cases. Women having birth interval of <2 years were twice likely to be anemic than those with ≥2 years birth interval (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 2.235, 95% confidence interval (CI) 8.427-8.677, p 0.001). Moreover, anemia was significantly higher among the multigravidae (AOR 0.212, 95% CI 0.048-0.941, p 0.041) and those in their third trimester of pregnancy (AOR 6.582, 95% CI 1.851-23.401, p 0.004). The prevalence of anemia in the study was high, although there were no severe cases, calling for immediate intervention. Keywords: Anemia, pregnancy, prevalence, maternal, KHCenAnemiapregnancyprevalencematernalKHCThesis